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Coffee has evolved twice!

The coffee genome has just been published. Denoeud et al have sequenced the genome of coffee
(biological name Coffea canephora). They found that within coffee’s 11 chromosome
pairs, that there were many duplicated genes which include the one that code
for the production of caffeine. They also suggested that these duplications
enhance the products produced by the coffee plant to produce more effective proteins.

The research also found that unlike tea and cacao (the chocolate
component), the genes that code for the production of caffeine, in the coffee
plant, are different to the genome sequence for the tea and cacao caffeine-producing
enzymes, defining that the caffeine production genome has evolved at least two
times.

The genome sequence could help in research to help identify the
genes that help the plant to combat diseases (related to the plant) and to also
cope with climate change and to also encourage more delicious tasting coffee!
To read more about coffee and caffeine here’s my previous detailed
blog post on the good and not-so-good of coffee and caffeine click here: Coffee:
the good, the better and the not-so-good